Crank means for laterally movable doors



July 3, 1951 T. MADLAND CRANK MEANS FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 194'? juEy 3, 1951 T. MADLAND CRANK MEANS FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1947 I I ll H I ll l [I I 'i I I ll l 1 y 3, 195l T. MADLAND 2,559,447

CRANK MEANS FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE DOORS Filed June 14, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Twemm Meow/v0 Patented July 3, 1951 2,559,447 CRANK MEANS FOR LATEZRALLY MOVABLE DOORS Thorvald Madland, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 14, 1947, Serial N0. 754,675

This invention relates to laterally movable doors.

' It is an object of this invention to provide laterally movable doors having mechanism embodying vertical rotatable bars which shall constitute parts of cranks for the doors.

A further object is to provide laterally movable doors having mechanism embodying vertical bars rotatably mounted on the doors and means associated therewith to form cranks in such manner that the assembly of the bars and the means is greatly simplified and facilitated.

A further object is to provide laterally movable doors having mechanism for supporting'the doors for lateral and longitudinal movements which shall be stronger than prior mechanisms of the same type.

A further object is to provide laterally movable doors having mechanism for supporting the doors for lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody roller carriages of novel construction.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereoi proceeds.

"in the drawings forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a refrigerator car equipped with a door embodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the door in open position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified form of the invention.

The instant invention is shown for the purpose of illustration only in connection with an insulated door adapted when in closed p'osi tion to be seated in a door opening ll so as to lie flush with the car side l2 of a refrigerator car I3. The door It may be of any of the well known types of refrigerator doors and as shown embodies an outer metallic panel I 4.

' A plurality of vertically disposed bars l and i 6' preferably formed of pipes are rotatably mounted upon the outer face of the door. The pipe I5 is so mounted by means of top, intermediate and bottom brackets ll, l8and l9. The bar It is similarly mounted by means of top, intermediate and bottom brackets 20, 21 and 22. All of the brackets are preferably secured 4 Claims. (Cl. 2023) to the door by being riveted to the metallic panel which is preferably reinforced by means of channel-shaped reinforcements, one of which is indicated at 23 in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, each of the bars I5 and I6 projects beyond the upper and lower edges of the door. The projecting portions of the bars which lie below the lower edge of the door extend into and are secured as by means of welding to hollow bosses 24 which are formed at one end of horizontally disposed arms 25. At its other end each of the arms 25 isformed with a vertically disposed depending cylindrical spindle 26 journalled within a bearing 27 formed upon a roller carriage 28.

The roller carriage 28 carries a roller 29 which is adapted to move along a track 30 secured as by means of rivets 3| to an angle shaped member 32 of the underframe of the car. The carriage 2 8 is adapted to be retained upon the track by means of hook-shaped members 33 and 34 which lie on opposite sides of the bearing 21. The spacing of the hook-shapedmembers 33 and 34- and the arrangement of the bearing 27 between them makes provision for the disposal of adjusting means for the door so that such means is readily accessible.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, it will be observed that the bearing 2'! of the roller carriage is provided with a bottom wall 35 through which an adjusting bolt 36 is threaded'upwardly into the bearing. The bolt 36 is adapted to be retained in adjusted position by means of a lock nut 31. One or more washers 38 are disposed upon the upper end of the bolt and form a seat for the lower end of spindle 26. By reason of the described construction 'of the bearing, it is adapted to receive grease or heavy oil in order to lubricate the spindle.

As illustrated the door is of the type known as bottom supported, its weight during opening and closing movements along the track 35) being carried by the roller carriages 23. The weight of the door is transmitted to the roller carriages by the lower brackets is and 22 and in order to decrease the frictional resistance between these brackets and the arms 25, washers 39 and 46 are utilized between which a lubricating washer M is sandwiched.

The projecting portions of the bars 15 and I5 which lie above the upper edge of the door are similarly associated with and secured to arms 25 which are identical with the arms previously described. The arms 25 are arranged so that their spindles 26 extend upwardly and are journalled in carriages 42 formed with "spaced hbbkshaped members 43 and 44 which embrace the underside of the depending flange 45 of a Z- shaped track member 45 secured to the carside above the door opening. Each of the carriages is formed with a fiange 41 which lies above the track and cooperates with the hook-shaped portions to retain the carriages in sliding engagement with the track.

It will thus be apparent that the vertical bars and IS in addition to their normal function are utilized as portions of upper and lower crank members which serve upon rotation of the bars to move the door laterally into and out of the door opening. Rotation is usually imparted to the bars by means of levers pivotally secured thereto. Various mechanisms for this purpose are well known to the art. In Fig. l of the drawings one mechanism is illustrated and embodies levers 48 and 49 pivotally secured respectively to the bars [5 andlt. The levers 48 and 49are adapted to be acted upon by means of a vertical lever 50 slidably and pivotally mounted at its upper edge to door ID by means of a mounting member M. The particular structure of the mechanism employed forms no part of the instant invention since it forms the subject matter of a copending application.

By virtue of the instant invention the arms 25 which cooperate with the bars l5 and Hi to provide cranks are simplified and their cost reduced. The association of these arms with the vertical bars is also simplified and at the same time the strength of the mechanism taken on planes between the lower brackets and the lower arms and between the upper brackets and the upper arms is substantially increased.

To move the door from its closed position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings to its full open position illustrated in Fig. 2, the levers 48 and 49 are released from the vertical lever 50 and swung in substantially horizontal planes away from each other thereby imparting rotation to the bars I5 and I6. This rotation of the bars effects rotation of the arms 25 about their spindles and moves the door laterally out of the door opening. After this movement has been completed, the levers 48 and 49 are swung to vertical position as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and retained in such position between abutments 5| and 52 formed on bracket l8 and similar abutments 53 and 54 formed on bracket 2i. At this time the weight of the door is carried by the roller carriages 28 and the door may be moved to its full open position by sliding the carriages 28 and 42 along their respective tracks 30 and 46. Opening movement of the door is limited by means of stops 55 and 56.

When it is desired to close the door the carriages are moved along the tracks until the door is opposite the door opening. The levers 48 and 49 are then swung into horizontal position and toward each other, thereby imparting rotation to the bars l5 and I6 and movement of the door into the door opening II. Vertical lever 5|] insures ease of such movement. Movement of the door in closing direction is limited by means of the stops 5'! and 58.

The instant invention has been illustrated in connection with a bottom supported refrigerator door. It it applicable as well to refrigerator doors which are top supported and it is not limited specifically to refrigerator doors. It may, for example, be utilized in connection with the doors for box cars and for automobile cars whether these be top or bottom supported.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings utilizes a somewhat different construction. Identical arms 59 which are used at the top and bottom of the bars I5 and [6 are formed with hollow bosses 60 into which the projecting portions of the bars extend and are secured as heretofore described. The ends of the arms 59 opposite the bosses 60 are provided with vertically disposed spindles Bl having portions 62 of reduced diameter which extend through bearings 53 formed on roller carriages 64. A washer W and a cotter pin 66 may be utilized to prevent disengagement of the spindles from the bearings.

The carriages 64 carry rollers 65 adapted to move along a track 6'! secured to the car below the door opening. The carriages 64 are formed with spaced hook-shaped members such as 68 similar to the previously described hookshaped members so that the bearings 63 are disposed between them.

The upper larger portion 69 of each of the spindles is threaded and adapted to receive an adjusting nut 10 and a lock nut l I. A pair of washers l2 and 13 between which a lubricating washer 14 is sandwiched are disposed between the upper edge of the bearing 63 and the lower surface of the adjusting nut 10. By this construction the weight of the door is transmitted through the lower arms 59, portions 69 of the spindles, and the adjusting and locking nuts 10 and II, to the bearings 63 through the washers and lubricating washers. v

in the first described embodiment of the invention the second embodiment thereof is also applicable to top supported doors and to doors for box cars and for automobile cars. Moreover, the same attributes are found in the second embodiment.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway car having a side Wall provided with a door opening, tracks secured to said wall above and below said door opening, a laterally movable door for closing said door opening, vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door, said bars extending above and below said door, horizontal arms having a vertical spindle and a hollow boss at opposite ends thereof, the ends of said bars extending into and being secured to said bosses, carriages mounted for movement alon said tracks, said spindles being journalled in, said carriages.

2. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, tracks secured to said wall above and below said door opening, a laterally movable door for closing said door opening, vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door, said bars extending above and below said door, horizontal arms having a vertical spindle and a hollow boss at opposite ends thereof, the ends of said bars extending into and being secured to said bosses, carriages mounted for movement along said tracks, bearings on said carriages, said spindles being journalled in said bearings, walls closing the lower ends of the bearings of the lower carriages, and vertically adjustable means extending through said walls and supporting the lower of said spindles.

3. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, tracks secured to said wall above and below said door opening, a laterally movable door for closing said door opening, vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door, said bars having crank elements at each end disposed above and below said door, carriages mounted for movement along said tracks, bearings on said carriages, said crank elements being journalled in said bearings, walls closing the lower ends of the bearings in the lower carriages, and bolts threaded upwardly through said walls, said bolts supporting the lower crank elements.

4. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, tracks secured to said wall above and below said door opening, a laterally movable door for closing said door opening, a ver tical bar rotatably mounted on said door, said bar extending above and below said door, horizon- 6 tal arms having a vertical spindle and a hollow boss at opposite ends thereof, the ends of said bar extending into and being secured to said bosses, carriages mounted for movement along said tracks, said spindles being journalled in said carriages.

THORVALD MADLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 665,412 Dill Jan. 8, 1901 1,051,790 Walters Jan. 28, 1913 1,395,080 Barrows Oct. 25, 1921 1,938,926 Newman Dec. 12, 1933 2,442,031 Beauchamp May 25, 1948 

